Lauriston Nursery are about to embark on yoga staff training, this will enable us to roll out a programme of 15 minute daily yoga sessions for all children.
We hear more and more about how mental health and wellbeing affect children, but our yoga programme enhances the actual culture in the classroom – improving considerably how practitioners and children interact with each other.
Nursery staff deal with daily stresses, as do the little ones they teach and care for. So many expectations are placed on everyone to perform to a certain level and/or meet specific criteria, as either an educator or a child.
Everyone will greet the day where they are – either in a good place or not quite there yet – and everyone is affected by everyone’s moods. Having the tools to greet the day as a group with open hearts and minds is essential. Things like toning and ‘omming’ have been around for thousands of years. Taking a moment to “sync up” with the children can turn everyone’s day around.
Research shows that just a few minutes of yoga daily provides happy healthy kids the tools to alleviate stress through breathing, through shaking off excess energy, through dancing to music.
Children are naturally positive, they fall over when learning to walk and get back up again and again, never giving up, they forgive very easily which means they move on instead of holding baggage, they love unconditionally and do not judge themselves or others. On top of all that they know how to have fun!
That limitless joy is the number one stress buster against depression and anxiety, which is crippling our society. Don’t just take our word for it, science now backs this up.
So, kid’s yoga isn’t so wishy washy or just for hippies – it’s a set of life skills that every individual can use to make life a much easier and fun ride!
